Plastic latch for ski boot

ABSTRACT

A ski boot comprising a closure arrangement including a pair of retaining strips arranged on both sides of the inner side of the boot for substantially on their entire length, each of the strips have an end portion directed away of the heel portion of the boot and, another end portion which is secured to the shell of the shoe at a location lying half-way between the first mentioned free end of the strip and a middle portion of the back of the heel portion of the boot.

United States Patent 1191 Schoch 1111 3,820,256 [4 June 28, 1974 PLASTIC LATCH FOR SKI BOOT [75] Inventor: Robert Schoch, Singen/Hohentwiel,

Germany [73] Assignee: Weinmann Aktiengesellschaft,

Schafihausen, Switzerland [22] Filed: June 11, 1973 [21] Appl. No.:-368,943

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data June 26, 1972 Germany 223122! [52] US Cl. .Q 36/25 AL [51] Int. Cl. A43b [58] Field of Search 36/25 R, 2.5 AL

[56] References Cited 1 UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,539,026 1/1951 Marigold ..36/2.5 AL

3,408,752 11/1968 Lollmann ..36/2.5 AL

Primary Examiner-Patrick D. Lawson Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Emest F. Marmorek [5 7] ABSTRACT A ski boot comprising a closure arrangement including a pair of retaining strips arranged on both sides of the inner side of the boot for substantially on their entire length, each of the strips have an end portion directed away of the heel portion of the boot and, another end portion which is secured to the shell of the shoe at a location lying half-way between the first mentioned free end of the strip and a middle portion of the back of the heel portion of the boot.

3 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 5/1960 Piberhofer 36/25 AL 1 l PLASTIC LATCH FOR 'SKI BOOT FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates generally to ski boots and, more particularly, it relates to a retaining means for the latch or closure arrangement of a plastic ski boot.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION As time goes on more and more ski shoes come into use most of which have a shell made from a plastic material and a soft inner shoe placed within the plastic shell. The soft inner shoe can be made from leather with foamed plastic or expanded plastic lining or it can be foamed-in into the plastic shoe shell as a single piece inner shoe.

The shell of the shoe on its instephas a pair of closure flaps which in their closed position are covered by a hingedly secured tongue. The tongue itself is made from a relatively stiff material, such as from metal or from a hard plastic material, which is preferred. On the tongue a single closure or latch element can be had which has a pair of side lashings, such as can be seen from the disclosure of US. Pat. application No. 184,108 filed Sept. 27, l97l and assigned to the present assignee. Such a side or pull tension-type latching cooperates with retaining means which are provided on the closure lugs. Together with such retaining means the closure element forms the overall closure arrange ment for the shoe. In order that proper cooperation of the constituting elements could be had, the free ends of the tension-type latchings and the retaining means must engage each other.

For example, the free ends of the tension-type latching can be formed in the shape of a hook which engage in appropriate slots formed in the retaining means. Conversely, the retaining means can also have hooklike portions which thencould engage in appropriate slots or hooks formed on the free ends of the associated tension-type latching.

Preferably a closure element is used which is the subject matter of the aforementioned US. Pat. application and, in which, a maltesecross is provided for operating the tension-type latchings. During the rotation of the operating handle on the closure element, the tensiontype latchings become pulled together or moved apart.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved retaining means for a ski shoe closure element which at the closed position of the closure element pulls the foot of the skier in the direction against the heel of the shoe.

The securing of the retaining bands at the heel portion of the shoe shell can be performed so that the retaining bands are adjustable and they can be adjusted each time to the size of the foot and the shoe of the skier. Also the retaining bands can be secured at the heel portion of the shell of the shoe in a manner that they can be adjusted vertically along the axis of the bolt coupling in order to impart an improved pulling direction to the bands.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Theinvention will become more readily apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof shown, by way of example, in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1. illustrates schematically the shell of a ski shoe made from a plastic material, in side view, with a hinged-type tongue in its open position and which tongue is illustrated with partially sectioned parts;

FIG. 2 is a front view of the shoe of FIG. 1 with the tongue in closed position and partially in section;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a retaining band according to the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a view of the bottom side of the retaining band of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 5 is a section taken along the line A-A in FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT With reference to FIG. 1 the ski shoe has a shaft portion 10, a heel portion 11, instep l2, closure flaps 13, a tongue 14 and a sole 15. The shaft 16 of the inner shoe is protruding outwardly of the closure flaps 13 of the outer shell. The tongue 14 itself carries the central closure element 17 of the shoe, the free ends of which on both sides are provided with tension-type latchings 18 as more closely described in the aforementioned US. application. The retaining means 19 includes a steel band 20 on each side of the shoe each of which has reinforced end portions 21, 22 and is arranged inwardly of the outer shell of the shoe which is illustrated by the dashed-line representation of FIG. 1. The reinforced end portion 21 protrudes from the shell of the shoe and has a slot 23 provided therein which can be in the form of an eyelet and serves for engagement by the hook portions 24 of the tension-type latching or latch 18 of the closure element. The steel band 20 is directed against the heel portion 11 of the shoe shell and each is secured to such heel portion as illustrated in FIG. 1. The securing is performed by means of a bolt coupling 25 the nut 26 of which is formed with a rectangular body 27. The lower side of the head 28 of the nut 26 is provided with cerrations or notches 29. The rectangular portion 27 in the loose position, when the coupling bolt 30 is open, can be slid longitudinally within the slot 31. The inner surface of the reinforced portion 22 is provided with a transversed notching 32 which, when the nut 26 is pushed by means of the bolt 30 down, engages the notches 29 provided on the bottom side of the head portion 28 and, thereby, prevents a sliding of the band 20 in the longitudinal direction. The notching of both members, namely, of the reinforced portion 22 and of the bottom side of the head portion 28, is similar. The head of the coupling bolt 30 lies on the outer side of the shell of the shoe and is provided with a slot 33 so that the above adjustment opera tion or tightening operation can be performed with the help of a coin. In addition to the feature that the notching prevents a sliding of the retaining means 19 in the longitudinal direction, the notching on the reinforced portion 22 and of the bottom side of the head 28, prevents also an overloading of the entire closure system.

of the shell of the shoe and which at their one free end portion are directed against the heel portion of the shell of the shoe and at their other free end portion are secured to the shell of the shoe. The retaining means lie on each side approximately half-way between one of the free ends and the middle of the back of the heel portion of the shoe. By the phrase, middle portion of the back portion of the heel portion, one should understand the location wherein in any conventional shoe the outer vertical seam is located and, it should not means a point lying in the middle of the back of the shoe. Preferably the securing position of the strips is near the heel portion of the shoe, about 4-8 cm from the middle of the back of the heel portion of the shell. The tensionproof strips are preferable made from metal or from a synthetic material, such as nylon (TM). For example, for a plastic shell having a 28 cm inner length, the retaining means can be in the form of a steep strip having a 16-17 cm length, a width of 2.5-3 cm, and a thickness of 0.3 mm. The steel bands or strips are reinforced with soldered plates having a thickness of about 1 mm.

1 wish it to be understood that I do not desire to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire-to be secured by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. A skiboot shell of the type made of synthetic mate- 4 rial, comprising, in combination:

a body; a heel portion of said body;

a back portion of said heel portion, having a middle portion;

a bolt means secured to said skiboot shell in said middle portion;

a pair of strip means arranged, substantially along their entire lengths, on both sides of the inner side of said shell; each of said strip means having a free first end portion directed away from said heel portion and a second end portion adjustably secured to said bolt means; and

a central closure element, each of said first end portions being releasably secured to said central closure element.

2. A ski boot shell, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first end has a hook means formed thereon for securing said strip means to said closure element, said said portions in a fixed position after adjustment. 

1. A skiboot shell of the type made of synthetic material, comprising, in combination: a body; a heel portion of said body; a back portion of said heel portion, having a middle portion; a bolt means secured to said skiboot shell in said middle portion; a pair of strip means arranged, substantially along their entire lengths, on both sides of the inner side of said shell; each of said strip means having a free first end portion directed away from said heel portion and a second end portion adjustably secured to said bolt means; and a central closure element, each of said first end portions being releasably secured to said central closure element.
 2. A ski boot shell, as claimed in claim 1, wherein said first end has a hook means formed thereon for securing said strip means to said closure element, said second end having means thereon protruding out of said boot heel portion and cooperating with said bolt means for adjustably securing said strip means to said heel portion.
 3. A ski boot shell, as claimed in claim 2, wherein a portion of said second end portion and a portion of said bolt means have formed notching thereon for retaining said portions in a fixed position after adjustment. 